A Man's Worth
by DanielNieves
Summary: Lucas Scott finally makes it to the NBA Playoffs. In his celebration, he meets a blonde sexy, but demanding stranger who he can't forget. One problem though, she lives in L.A., home to the LA Lakers, and the only way to get there is to win. Leyton AU.
1. Chapter 1

A Man's Worth

By: Daniel Nieves

A/N: Sorry for my OTH fanfiction fans and not updating Simplicity in a while. I stumbled on it for some time, because in a way, I kinda thought about ending it in the next chapter, simply because I lost sight of the original Leyton aspect and interweaved a story full of different perspectives and voices. Fear not, I'll update eventually. I had it written but my laptop crashed from all the viruses I got from downloading porn…lol. JK or am I? Strong sexual and graphic sexual scenes in the first chapter to set the tone for the future Leyton aspect.

**I**

Sweat poured down his lean, but muscular frame. The ball was in his hands, rhythmic thumps on the hardwood floor of the court, as all eyes were on him, over twenty thousand people in Madison Square Garden. Most booed, seeing as he was on the opposing team but that didn't break his concentration as he dribbled up the court. The point guard continued his trek up the court, seconds from the game's timely conclusion.

The game was both teams final game of the season, the winner of this match would decide the wild card position into the NBA Playoff's, so every that passed by caused the point guard Lucas Scott to put more concentration into what he needed to do, win the game and take the Charlotte Bobcats, the highly underrated team to the Playoff for the team's first time in their franchise history.

"You suck Scott!" Someone, most likely a New York Knick's fan screamed from the sideline in an attempt to cause him to lose focus.

He shrugged off the comment and dribbled the ball between his legs, before faking to the left and taking off, leaving his defender, the opposing point guard in his dust. Sweat dripping down to the hardwood, his body sent more oxygen through his blood as his worn muscles sprung forward, bolting across the half court line.

Three seconds left…

Joel Rodriguez, the Bobcats shooting guard set a screen as the Knick's shooting guard Raymond Johnson moved forward to block him. Somehow the power forward cut through the side and moved forward and Lucas jumped, muscles springing into action as he jumped as high as he could and released the ball.

The power forward jumped with him and brought his meaty hand down to swipe at the ball. He didn't succeed.

But the power forward did slap against the side of Lucas' arm and the two of them crashed to the floor, their gaze immediately following the ball in flight.

Swish!

"Foul! Knick's number 32 Johnson!" one of the referee's called out.

The score was tied at 91-91.

Lucas Scott, temporary hero of the Bobcats for the moment got up off his feet along with the power forward, and he walked towards the foul line, his knees trembling from exhaustion, his palms sweaty, and his eyes blurry from the salty sweat. Exhaustion plagued him and as the referee handed him the ball, he held it for a second and tried to blink the sweat out of his eyes.

Breathing slowly and trying to maintain composure, he gazed at the rim which looked 100ft away right about now.

Then he saw her.

There was a girl in the crowd, with no team attire, clad in a pair of blue jeans and a black leather jacket over a Ramones t-shirt. Silken blonde hair as if woven, laid out in a spread of curls around her face, framing it beautifully. Her eyes were wide, as if she knew he was staring at her.

Pink lips smirked at him, and he suddenly remembered the game was in his hands. All he had to do was make a free throw.

Crouching down, he prepared to shoot, and came back up, releasing the ball perfectly. His vision faltered for a second as he took another longing glance at her.

THUNK!

The basketball caught the inner circumference of the rim before falling out.

Fortunately their small forward caught the ball and fell to the ground, calling a time out as he fell.

The whistle blew loudly, and Lucas looked up at the clock. 1.2 seconds left on the clock.

The team walked towards the coach, Head Coach John Robinson. As soon as the team arrived, he got up in Lucas' face. "What the hell was that, are you trying to lose the game?" he snarled out. "You're a ninety six percent free throw shooter and you choose now to miss!"

Lucas had the decency to look ashamed. "My bad coach, it just all got to me, you know…" Lucas replied, abashed.

"We got the possession with over a second left on the clock. That leaves it to you or Joel." Coach Robinson replied, stress lines marring the young coach's forehead.

"Give it to Joel." Lucas replied swiftly.

Joel nodded nervously.

"Just do your best, if not we'll go to overtime and get them there." The coach told them.

The Charlotte Bobcats headed back out to the court, followed by the Knicks. "Good luck with that shot." Lucas whispered to Joel.

Joel nodded grimly.

The game had commenced again, and Lucas found himself running around the top of the key, ready to set the screen for Joel. The whistle blew and their small forward Nick Damon hurled the ball at Joel. The opposing guard went to move and Lucas tried to set a pick and roll but the shooting guard pivoted around him and jumped to block.

Joel tossed the ball to Lucas and he launched it from the top of the key automatically, with no defenders guarding him. The game's buzzer rang right after he released it a split second later and all eyes in the Madison Square Garden followed the ball in flight.

It bounced off the backboard and into the hoop.

"The Charlotte Bobcats win, they're going to the playoff's, can you believe it?" one of the announcer's screamed into the microphone. "Ninety four ninety one! The Bobcats win thanks to Lucas Scott!"

Before the win could even register in Lucas' head, he was hoisted of his feet and lifted in the air by his teammates. Cheers and boos rung all around his ears, and he closed his eyes and let out a silent sob as his eyes watered from happiness.

It had taken him three years to finally get to the playoffs since his five year, 15 million dollar contract to the Charlotte Bobcats.

When he opened his eyes up again a second later, he saw Bob Costa running up towards his team. They lowered their hero and a set of cameramen surrounded the game's hero. Bob Costa extended a hand and Lucas shook it. "How does it feel to make the game winning shot, Lucas Scott?" Bob Costa asked.

"Absolutely awesome, but we're all a team here, and without the guys, we wouldn't even be here." Lucas replied passionately.

"Are you prepared for your first playoff visit? You guys will be facing off against the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. Are you guys ready for Rondo, Garnett, Allen, and Pierce?" Costa asked.

"I think we have a chance, I know we do. But I'm just glad we'll be in the playoffs, anything after that's a blessing." Lucas replied.

"Tonight you scored forty six points, an all time career high, what was different in this game from all the others gamed played in the last three years?"

"This whole season was different from the past two. This year we just had a positive outlook instead of focusing on the negative and we came together more as a team, I think that's the difference." Lucas replied honestly.

"Any last comments?" Bob Costa asked.

"Thanks to the fans that supported us, our friends and families. I want to thank my uncle and father figure Keith Scott as well as my mother for supporting me all these years, I'll never forget that." Lucas stated, smiling warmly.

"Last question before we part ways, Lucas. Are you nervous at the possibility of facing your brother in the NBA Finals?"

"Not thinking that far ahead. We'll come to those obstacles when the time comes." Lucas assured, before heading back with his teammates to celebrate.

"And that basketball fans was Lucas Scott, hometown hero to South Carolina and the reason the Bobcats are going to the NBA Playoffs." Bob Costa announced.

To say the next few hours were a blur to Lucas Scott and the Bobcats was inane. Time flew by uncontrollably as they showered, dressed in regular civilian wear and then headed out into the New York City nightlife.

For Lucas, it was one of the best moments, if not the best moment of his life. As they tore through strip clubs and dance clubs, his teammates bought him drinks to celebrate the victory and Lucas Scott was hardly a partier or a drinker but tonight he relaxed and enjoyed himself for once.

He took in the New York skyline, his line of sight become a blur of bright lights and taxi taillights.

At the next club they went to, a well off hip hop club off of Lexington and Fifth, Lucas saw her…

…the girl from the game. The girl that almost cost him the game. She hadn't spotted him, her back was to him as she drank at the bar. He had to approach, he had to see that lovely face that had almost done him in earlier that night.

He had to talk to her.

Walking up to the bar, he whispered in her ear. "I'm starting to think you're following me, blondie."

Beautiful emerald burned into his own eyes. "I think it's the other way around." she stated simply. Ignoring him for a second, she lifted the glass of Jack Daniel's to her lips, before swallowing some of the dark whiskey.

"Pretty sure you were ogling me in the crowd." Lucas shot back, before motioning for the bartender. After ordering himself another beer, Lucas looked at the blonde beauty. "You a Knicks fan?" Lucas asked, a bemused smirk on his face.

"No… I'm not even a basketball fan." The woman replied simply before letting out a small laugh. "Not a sport really worth watching for me anyway."

Lucas let out an amused laugh. "I beg to differ." He replied, peering into her emerald eyes with his own crystalline blue. A smile tugged at her lips, and he found his eyes drawn to them. "So what were you doing there if you don't like the sport?" Lucas asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"A friend of mine dragged me there, she's dating one of the guys on the team. I'm not even from New York." She said, and Lucas nodded.

"Understandable, well I hope I left a lasting impression on the sport." Lucas whispered into her ear, his breath soft and ticklish against her cheek.

"It wasn't a bad impression. Nice shot by the way, congrats to you and your team." She said warmly.

"We got lucky, I'm not sure how we'll do against the Celtics." Lucas stated, before placing his hand on hers. "Dance with me." He whispered huskily.

"Buy me another drink and maybe I might." The blonde said smirking.

"Fair enough, another Jack Daniels?" Lucas asked. The blonde nodded and motioned for the bartender and Lucas tossed him a twenty dollar bill. "Keep the change."

"Big tipper." She stated sarcastically.

"What's your name, I'm Lucas…"

"Scott, trust me I know. I'm Peyton. C'mon, I owe you a dance." She beckoned before grabbing him by the arm and leading him out onto the dance floor.

Synthesized drums and the loud shake of the bass waited for them on the dance floor as they danced to some northern based hip hop. Lucas was in sheer awe of Peyton as she slowly grinded herself against him, his hands on her waist, his breath soft and warm against her neck.

He was a man in sheer pleasure and couldn't stop himself from getting hard, his manhood pressing up against her buttocks and the cleft between her jeans. "God you feel so good." She whimpered out, eyes clenched shut.

"It feels like I can't control myself around you… God I want you." Lucas replied, his lips claiming her neck, his fingers dancing lightly on her bare stomach as her shirt rode up as she arched her back.

"The feeling's mutual, ya know." Peyton replied softly.

"I'll take it as slow as you want me to, you don't have to leave with me tonight." Lucas said, his lips claiming her earlobe and nibbling softly.

"I know I don't have to fuck you tonight." Peyton shot back cockily. Lucas felt his heart drop for a split second. Peyton's hands slid behind her back and grabbed Lucas where he was aching the most. "But God I really want to."

"You'll be the death of me Peyton." Lucas groaned, growing harder and wider at her touch.

Peyton's hands clasped his and brought them up to the soft curve of her breasts. "Fuck…me…now." She demanded haughtily.

"One condition though." Lucas whispered against her ear.

"Really? I thought me telling you to fuck me was good enough." Peyton said huskily, whimpering again as she pressed her ass against Lucas' manhood.

"Handjob on the way to the hotel, the first one's always quick, and I think I'm going to need all night with you." Lucas moaned out.

"Fair enough, you drive." Peyton shot back, pulling away from him and giving him a naughty look through her beautiful green orbs. "There's a Hilton right around the corner, about two miles away, I got a room there." She added.

"Fine with me." Lucas replied, wrapping his arm around her waist as the two headed off. Some of the Bobcat members whistled as they Lucas leave with the beautiful blonde.

As they stepped out of the club, there was a gang of paparazzi outside. "Fuck." Lucas cursed before grabbing Peyton's hand. "Which car is yours?" Lucas asked.

"The Lambo." Peyton replied.

"You got a Lamborghini?" Lucas asked shocked, the cars weren't cheap after all.

"Yeah, a Murcielago LP Six Forty." Peyton responded quickly.

"Isn't that car over half a million dollars?" Lucas asked.

"Now's not the time to discuss that." Peyton declared as the paparazzi were still on their tail. "There, that white one." She pointed, sprinting to the car as fast as she could on her long, divine legs.

Swiping her thumb across the fingerprint reader, the car unlocked and the car's scissor doors opened upwards. "Get in." she demanded and climbed into the other side of the car. Lucas climbed in and shut the door.

He looked around the dash and ignition to find a way to start the car. "What are you waiting for?" Peyton said, smirking as she did so.

"For a way to turn the fuckin' thing on." Lucas bit off quickly.

"Center dash, it says ENG Start. God how does a multimillion dollar basketball player not know how to turn on a Lamborghini?" Peyton mocked sarcastically.

"Cause I'm not gonna waste money on one of these mobile coffins, I'll stick to American produced." Lucas snipped back.

"That just means your either cheap, or yeah, that's the only option I can think of." Peyton deduced.

"I got the new Camaro Two SS, I'm not cheap." Lucas shot back.

"It's what, forty to forty five thousand. That's pretty cheap, you should at least got a Phantom." Peyton replied, "Now start the fucking car, will you?"

"Fine Miss Daisy, let's get on with it then." Lucas responded, pushing the ENG Start button, and almost getting another hard on from hearing the engine roaring to life. Slapping the left paddle shift into reverse, the Murcielago backed out of the parking space, and the exhaust roared flames from its steel tips as Lucas shifted back into first gear, speeding away from the paparazzi as fast as possible.

But it was too late, they still had caught them outside the club.

He'd have time to worry about that later.

"I guess I owe you a handjob." Peyton whispered lustfully in his right ear and his hard on came back almost bursting though his jeans.

"Dear God…" Lucas whined pitifully, his will broken by a blonde woman with emerald eyes and a face to die for.

As he shifted into second, he felt her hands on his crotch, and he was wrong when he had thought it could get no harder. He was putty in her hands. Her soft, nimble hands reached and slowly pulled down his zipper and into his boxers. "Oh fuck…" Lucas groaned, her hands soft and caressing.

"Don't blow your load yet, Lucas Scott." Peyton admonished with a teasing smile. Her lips curved tantalizingly.

"Shut up and kiss me." Lucas demanded impatiently.

"Nope, you have to focus on the road and I have a handjob to focus on. Promises are promises after all."

She stroked him, softly and gently and he was surprised at the self control he managed to muster. Heat burned in his loins and he wanted nothing more than to ejaculate all over the over half a million dollar car. "Hurry up, I don't know how much longer I can last." Lucas begged, shuddering as she sped up the strokes.

"Don't rush me Mister Scott, otherwise you'll ruin the mood." Peyton stated teasingly, before lowering her face down to his crotch.

"What are you doin'?" Lucas asked, his breath catching in his throat.

"What do you think dummy?" she responded, before running her pink tongue down the length of his shaft.

All willpower he might have had had just been stripped from him. He was a puppet, and she was pulling the strings right now.

Her tongue swirled around his head and he whimpered softly, his straining erection pressing against her lips. "If you keep this up, I'm going to blow a load all over this fuckin' car!" Lucas warned, the heat in his loins to much to bear.

He was about to blow his load in the next couple seconds.

"Don't worry, I swallow." Peyton replied seductively before wrapping her lips around his head as she began to suck softly, her tongue dancing circles around the underbody of his head.

His hands found her hair, and he ran his fingers through the curly blonde locks and she went down a little lower, her lips around his shaft as she pleasured him. "I'm going to nut, right now." Lucas stated suddenly, groaning.

Keeping her lips around him, she slowly pumped him with one of her hands and Lucas almost swerved off the road as he ejaculated hard in her mouth, filling her mouth with his seed.

He couldn't remember ever ejaculating that hard, ever in his few years of sexual activity.

Moments later they pulled into the hotel, and into a parking space near the entrance. They hurried up towards the entrance and rushed up towards her room which was conveniently on the top floor with a balcony that overlooked the New York City skyline.

Closing the door shut with a soft kick, his hands found her waist and his lips founds hers, claiming her as his. She pulled away hesitantly after a second, insecurity in her beautiful green depths. "But I just sucked…" he never let her finish as his lips claimed her again, his tongue demanding as it explored her mouth passionately, his hands lowering down to her legs to lift her up, her long legs wrapping around his back as he carried her to the bed.

"I don't care… now be quiet, I'm going to take care of you now." Lucas whispered, his lips nibbling her collarbone as his fingers fiddled with her jeans, before slowly peeling them down her legs along with her panties effortlessly, exposing the bare flesh he so badly desired. Her leather coat and shirt was tossed carelessly to the side and her bra was unsnapped then tossed away as well.

She was laid out on the bed, splayed there for all her glory and he swore he saw the face of God on her flesh. Pressing his lips to her bare shoulder and taking a playful bite, she writhed and whimpered under his touch. "Please Lucas, I'm already wet… don't tease me anymore." She begged.

"Just lay back and enjoy this." He drawled out huskily, his voice sending shivers down her bare flesh.

"Take off your clothes now." She demanded hotly, her fingers reaching for his jeans.

He pulled away from her fingertips. He shook his finger at her. "Nuh uh… let me do this." Lucas said playfully, deliberately touching the soft sensitive nub that sent her spiraling further into bliss.

Taking off his button up shirt, he placed it to the side of the bed and his jeans came off next.

Once fully naked, he climbed back in the bed, his body hovering over her, a predatory gleam in his eyes as he pressed his lips against her breasts. "Fuck me already…" she begged, and Lucas shook his head.

"I told you, there's something I've got to do." Lucas teased, his lips trailing south to dip his tongue into her belly button. Her fingers found his hair and pushed him lower demandingly, and his lips found her clit, before running his tongue tentatively over the soft nub.

His fingers slid into her effortless, her womanhood wet and lubricated from his touch and began to slide in and out of her hot, wet lips.

"Oh god…Lucas…" she moaned, his fingers soaked with her juices.

"Feels good, doesn't it Peyt?" Lucas asked cockily, before running his tongue across her nether lips, drinking in her ambrosia.

"Inside of me… now!" she cried out, and Lucas couldn't delay the inevitable any longer. He needed to be inside of her, his manhood bulging and throbbing.

He pressed his cock against her lips, seeking entrance. "Please…" she begged, and taking that as permission, he slid into her, pleasure causing him to arc back as tiny volts of electricity danced across his skin.

It was dizzying.

It felt so good to be inside her, so…

…Right.

"You feel so good." He said, grunting sliding in and out faster and faster, her inner muscles clenching and squeezing as they created something so pure and animalistic, it was inconceivable to those who hadn't experienced it.

Hours later, tired and spent from their sex, the two showered and clambered back into the bed, curling up against each other and falling asleep within minutes.

Lucas awoke the next morning, his muscles aching from the game and everything else that had come afterwards. Rolling over he saw that Peyton was no longer in the bed. Instead there was a note on his pillow, and he picked it up and brushed the morning's sun out of his eyes.

Adjusting to the light, he read the letter.

_Lucas,_

_I'm sorry I'm being all cliché-ish by leaving a note on the pillow the morning after. I just couldn't risk being around you in the morning, you can be pretty convincing and I'd never leave. Last night was great, wait, I don't think the word great can describe what we shared, and I never got to share something like that, so thank you. I'll never forget what we had, even if it was just one night. I live in Los Angeles, I'm a music executive, and I didn't really get a chance to tell you, I was only hear to hang out with my best friend Brooke. Anyways, I'd like to see you again, but I can't give you my number so you'll have to find me the hard way if you want me again. The reason I can't leave you my number, is because I'm not single, I have a boyfriend here in L.A. and I don't want to complicate thing but I fear it's too late. My boyfriend's your brother Nathan, and I'm sorry for that._ _I just saw you out there and things went out of control, but it takes two to tango or some stupid phrase like that. If you're not too pissed at me and want to see me again, which I think you will be pretty pissed though, beat the Celtics and take the Bobcats to the Finals, the Lakers will be the West Conference Champions for sure. But that'll mean you'll finally have to face your brother, seeing as you've managed to avoid that so far. Even if you don't make it, I'll still be in L.A. waiting for you. I do mean it when I say I've never experienced anything like what we had last night but perhaps it would have been better if we'd never met. It would be best if you didn't make it to the Finals, but part of me has to see you again Lucas Scott._

_Love,_

_Peyton Sawyer_

Author's Note: How does Lucas take the news. Find out next chapter, whenever the hell that is seeing as I'm thousands of miles away from the US and DSL internet. I'll try to update both this and Simplicity as soon as I can but I got writer's block like crazy for Simplicity because in a sense I was trying to re-create a world for One Tree Hill in which the story had perspectives from each character, were everyone had a voice and perhaps in that desire, I lost sight of the original Leyton aspect of the story. The next chapter is exclusively Leyton(Simplicity btw) and Jaime will take a bow for a chapter or two. But don't worry he'll be back soon enough and he'll have a one shot so you'll know exactly what happened in his absence where he will be joined by another one of my fav characters from OTH, Mouth. Can you imagine that, Mouth and Jaime?** Sorry for the grammatical mistakes, it's unbeta'd by the way. **


	2. Chapter 2

A Man's Worth

Chapter 2

I

To say his was pissed was an understatement. Sunlight filtered in through the hotel's blinders, aggravating him further. Sighing softly, he crumpled the letter the woman from last night had left him. Tossing it into the trash receptacle, he took a deep breath and inhaled her scent, her tantalizing and stimulating scent doing nothing other than arousing him once again.

What was her name again?

Peyton something… Sawyer…

How dare she sleep with him, knowing full well that he was Nathan's older brother? Knowing that arrogant prick, Lucas knew he should be wary now. Either the controlling sociopath would be utterly pissed and angry that he slept with Peyton when he found out, or for whatever reason Nathan had set him up.

Which the manipulating bastard would stoop low to do. Nathan had yet to get a title under his belt, he had transferred to the Lakers this year after leaving the Toronto Raptors, months after the Lakers had won another title after beating the Orlando Magic in five games.

Nathan had yet to get the illustrious ring that would signify him as a champion. But would he stoop so low to have his girlfriend sleep with his brother to motivate him to make it to the NBA Finals. Something in Peyton's note seemed fishy…

_If you're not too pissed at me and want to see me again, which I think you will be pretty pissed though, beat the Celtics and take the Bobcats to the Finals, the Lakers will be the West Conference Champions for sure…_

…_. It would be best if you didn't make it to the Finals, but part of me has to see you again Lucas Scott._

The note made it seem like that the only way they'd see each other was if he'd make it to the Finals and no other way. She had said she wanted to see him again, and yet she left no number, no address, nothing other than the incentive that she'd be at the game, where his brother would play.

The downright arrogance of it all.

That somehow for sure, Nathan and the Lakers would make it to the 2010 NBA Finals, as if predestined by fate or some controlling force.

Whatever… he didn't need drama like that in his life. Last night, that had been a one night stand, that's all.

He'd been riding on the emotion of having won the game in New York and she'd been there, and he had wanted her, and he had her. Now she was of no importance, she could stay in L.A. with his brother with her Lamborghini for all he gave a fuck.

Seeing that the time was ten thirty, an hour and a half before he was supposed to muster with his team to fly back to Charlotte, N.C. for some playoff training and such. Groaning, he rolled out of bed, out of her scent and headed into the shower, ready to dress and move on with his life.

Stepping out of the shower a few minutes later, he got dressed and made sure he had all his belongings (just in case Peyton had been a hooker and robbed him in while he'd been in post coitus mode) and headed out of her room, walking down to the elevator a few yards ahead and pressing the down button.

The metal doors slid open seconds later and he stepped in, pressing the button for the first floor and felt the familiar pull of the elevator as the G-forced sucked his breath in and tickled for a second.

The doors opened and Lucas stepped out of the elevator and began to walk down the main passageway to exit the hotel. As he exited he hailed a taxi, and a Muslim driver pulled up next to Lucas.

Not that Lucas was stereotyping, but he happened to see the dark skinned man pulled up with a turban around his head. "Where to my friend?" the Arabic driver asked as he rolled down his window.

"To the Ramada Inn off Lexington and Twenty Fifth." Lucas responded.

"You must be one of the Charlotte Bobcat players, yeah?" The driver asked.

"Yes, why?" Lucas asked, arching his eyebrow.

"You not heard? Big fight over there, my friend. Some New York fans didn't take the loss too well. Hop in, buddy." The cabbie ordered and Lucas climbed into the backseat.

"Big fight, goddamn, coach is going to be ticked." Lucas grumbled, fumbling for his phone.

He was about to dial in the coach's number when a missed text message popped up. 'Congratulations, Luke. See ya soon babe!' It was a text message from his pseudo girlfriend Haley James.

"Fuck…" Lucas whispered under his breath. The Captain and point guard of the Charlotte Bobcats pulled out the Contacts listing on his iPhone and found Joel Rodriguez's cell number. Pressing the number on the touch phone, it dialed through and rung a few times before the half Puerto Rican, half Dominican player picked up.

"Hey, whas' up?" Joel answered, recognizing that it was Lucas' cell.

"What did you assholes do last night?" Lucas demanded roughly, his tone leaving no room for bullshit.

"Uh oh, you heard then right?" Joel asked tentatively.

"Yeah, from a fuckin' cab driver, you guys got into fight with fans?" Lucas barked into the phone.

"Uh huh. They were asking for it though. They jumped a few of the guys outside of the club after you left with that chick. I guess they were really pissed the Knicks didn't make it and clubbed a few of us. Coach wants to see you, nowish by the way, I guess the Commish David Stern is pretty upset at us. You might wanna ditch the blond and get your ass over here." Joel replied.

"On the way already, I'll be there in a few. You guys better hope Stern is lenient on us, else we're screwed." Lucas bit off, hanging the phone with a sudden click.

…

"Thirty five dollars, my friend." The driver asked as they pulled into the Ramada Inn's front entrance.

'Thirty five dollars? It was a fifteen minute drive!' Lucas thought outraged.

Rather than argue with the cabbie, Lucas pulled out sixty dollars and handed it to the cabbie. "Keep the change." Lucas replied, stepping out of the cab and walking over to the hotel where the rest of the team was at.

Stepping inside the Ramada, he saw the coach yelling at the whole team who was standing upright, an ashamed look on some of their faces. "Just what the fuck where you jackasses thinking last night? Jesus Almighty you assholes really fucked me, you really fucked your coach on this one!" John Robinson shouted, spittle flying from his lips as he vented his anger.

"Coach, Lucas is here." Sam Davidson, one of the bench small forwards called out, and Lucas cringed, as the Coach swerved around, his onyx colored eyes widening as he saw Lucas try to sneak in.

"And you, where the hell where you last night. You're the team captain and you didn't stop your own team from brawling with a bunch of civilians!" Coach Robinson demanded.

"I was busy and didn't know this had happened." Lucas offered lamely.

"Where the hell were you?" the Head Coach repeated harshly.

"If you must know, in the super wet and tight vagina of this blonde I met at the bar, if you want to be specific." Lucas snapped back, squinting at the coach.

The coach ran up to his face and looked ready to throttle Lucas. "Don't ever take that tone with me if you want to play in the playoffs…" Coach Robinson threatening, spit landing on Lucas shirt.

"You know what, screw it… go to the playoffs without me, see how far you get, Coach!" Lucas snapped back, turning away from the Coach.

"Don't you dare turn your back on me Scott, I am the Head Coach and won't tolerate that. Get back here." Robinson roared at him.

"Already told you, I'm not playing. Have fun, coach." Lucas replied, giving the Coach a mock salute.

Joel Rodriguez broke ranks and ran up to Lucas. "Luke, you can't leave us like that man, we only made here because of you, don't walk away now." Joel pleaded, trying to make him see reason.

"Look, I'm not going to take his bullshit. If David Stern's pissed because some of us got fucked up and beat up some civilians who jumped them outside a club, and reams his ass for it, I'm not taking that heat. I'm the captain, not a fucking babysitter. Fuck David Stern's fat ass, and fuck this bullshit man. We didn't come this far to have to put up with some fat asshole placing blame on these guys for defending themselves." Lucas ranted angrily and the coach's eyes widened.

"Fuck me huh?" a voice cut through Lucas' rant.

Lucas turned around and saw David Stern himself. "Fuck me huh?" David Stern repeated with a calm smile on his face.

"Yes sir, fuck you." Lucas shot back, a jeering grin on his lips.

"I should fire you, I really should. But you dear Lucas, have become so popular that it would do more damage to lose you than it would to keep you. So thank your newfound popularity for keeping your job. That job, includes watching over your drunk teammates who find it cool to beat up smaller, scrawnier civilians. Now it would behoove you to shut the hell up, fall in line with your teammates, and then get your ass to Hickville, North Carolina and get ready to play Boston in two weeks." David Stern ordered. "Am I understood?" he demanded.

Lucas ignored him and fell into line.

"You're insane Lucas…" Joel whispered to him. Lucas glared at him stonily in response.

"Let me put it out there for you guys if you don't know… At no point in time are you to get into fight with fans, after the incident in Indiana we do not need that kind of publicity. So obviously this cannot go unpunished, the four players involved in the incident will be suspended for the first round of the playoffs." David Stern announced. "Now if any of you have anything to say, now is the time."

"This is horseshit." Lucas called out.

"What was that Mr. Scott?" David Stern asked dangerously.

"This is horseshit." Lucas repeated. "Four of our guys get attacked by some piece of shit New Yorkers with weapons, and after they defend themselves you suspend them from playing in the first round of the playoffs?" Lucas asked incredulously.

"They didn't defend themselves. They beat those civilians into a stay at a hospital, which was uncalled for." David Stern replied.

"Uncalled for? If someone pulled a gun one you right now, are we supposed to do nothing and walk away unscathed. Or perhaps you're just upset it was the Knicks that lost last night." Lucas insinuated.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"We all know you're from New York and tend to favor the Knicks." Lucas replied.

"I suggest you be quiet right now Scott, before I reconsider my firing of you." David Stern threatened.

"It's a shame that money just can't buy New York a championship, but when the Lakers are in the Finals every year, I guess that makes up for it." Lucas continued arrogantly.

"Lucas!" Coach Robinson barked at him.

Lucas rolled his eyes and kept quiet.

"Your brother, now that's a real basketball player, it's a shame you're nowhere near his level." David Stern baited.

"I guess we'll find out then, even with all the odds stacked against us and limited bench players to replace us in Boston." Lucas assured cockily.

"All of you, get out of my sight, you disgust me." David Stern bit off dangerously, his lip curled back like a rabid Doberman.

"Trust me, the feeling's mutual." Lucas shot back as the team headed out towards the bus for their departure to JFK Airport to return to Charlotte.

II

After landing in Charlotte around three in the afternoon, Lucas sighed wearily. He was tired, hung over, and tired of being bitched at by Coach Robinson. The Head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats had seen fit to ream Lucas thoroughly on the way to the JFK airport on how he could have gotten them both fired and lost their chance at the NBA Playoffs. Closing his eyes in exhaustion, he was glad to be in Charlotte, where almost all the guys had their cars in the airport garage and could climb in and head home for R&R for the next two days before resuming practice on Monday.

Lucas pulled his keys out of his jean pocket and pressed the unlock button as he walked towards his car, and the cars headlights flashed and the front door unlocked. Getting in, he slid the key into the ignition and started up his 2009 Chevrolet Camaro 2SS, the exhaust rumbling a loud throaty sound as the engine began to idle.

He had just bought the car a month ago and he still was in love with it. The sleek curves, the 450 horsepower just trembling underneath the hood, waiting in anticipation for his to throttle the car and send the car tumbling forward at high velocity. It had one of the newer semi-automatic transmissions that allowed him to switch between automatic driving and manual shifting seamlessly.

Leaving it in automatic, he lightly tapped the accelerator and the car lurched forward almost like a feline cat on its haunches, ready to tear into her next prey. Gripping the steering wheel with one hand, he turned right and began the slow, agonizing drive out of the airport parking garage, ready to get back onto I-47 and start his two hour trek back to his hometown Tree Hill.

A place of many memories, of love, happiness, anger, rage, and silent fury. He hated it and loved it, with more love than hate. His hate stemmed from his father Dan's treatment of him and his mother, of his uncle and surrogate father Keith, and from Nathan's sanctimonious self-righteousness, his believe that because he was rich everything should be handed down to him, that he could destroy whosever life he desired and suffer no consequences. Lord knows how he fucked over Lucas and his ex-girlfriend Haley on some many occasions, refusing to redeem himself.

Slipping out his iPhone out of his pocket as he leapt onto I-47, he dialed in Haley's number on the touch screen keypad and almost smiled as her smiling face appeared on the iPhone's screen.

Her pretty dark brown eye's looking into the camera, her lips curled into a beaming mega-watt smile, flashing her perfectly white teeth. "Hey babe." She answered into phone immediately after the second ring. Her voice was milk and honey, its alluring tone already making Lucas' day infinitely better than it was.

"We landed in Charlotte a half hour ago, I'm already on the road heading home. How are you Hales?" Lucas asked honestly.

"I missed you Luke. Oh my god, I was so happy as I watched you win the game, even Jamie stayed up and he too was celebrating. I actually just got him your new jersey that just came out, he's running around the house in it." She replied ecstatically.

"That's awesome Hales. I should be home around five, maybe a little earlier if I haul ass. I should probably go, this car's too dangerous to be talking on the phone while driving. See you soon, and tell Jamie I miss him and love him. Love ya Hales." Lucas replied.

He was about to put the phone down he saw there was another text he hadn't read. Opening it up he almost regretted it immediately and was tempted to chuck the phone overboard. It was from his brother Nathan.

_Congratulations are in order big brother. Too bad you'll still lose, even if you make it to the Finals. You wanna see whose better, let's find out._

Deciding not to chuck the phone, he instead plugged the auxiliary cable into the iPhone and drowned the car in the rhythms of Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Forgetting about his momentary bout of rage, he suddenly realized he'd been doing 100mph the last twenty minutes. "Holy shit." Lucas cursed under his breath, his foot immediately pressing down on the brakes, the huge custom Brembo's locking up momentarily and the car slowed down to a more reasonable 80mph on the 70mph road..

Flying across the woodland road, the trees began to blur into one another and Lucas found himself thinking of Peyton Sawyer once again. The immaculately beautiful, sinfully tasty blonde temptress.

She had seduced him, and he'd been all to convinced she'd actually been into him, never once realizing she was doing this because his asshole brother told her too.

Sighing softly, he decided it was for the best that she left. She would have only brought misery and more deception into his life, and he sure as hell didn't need that.

He had Haley after all.

That was completely un-complicated.

He honestly didn't know how he started sleeping with his best friend. They'd been best friends since kindergarten, all through high school too. Sure he had some sot of feeling for her in his junior year, she was prettier, and blossoming into the young woman she was now.

That junior year, Lucas had joined the Tree Hill Ravens basketball team and everything else was history. He'd been too busy trying to make his mind up between Haley and a stupid cheerleader type named Tracey, and in his dilemma Nathan had strode in an convinced Haley to go out with whispering sweet lies into her ears as he cheated his way through the whole relationship only to admit he'd dated her to piss off Lucas.

The asshole as a parting gift had knocked her up and taking off to go play basketball at Duke before transferring to the University of North Florida, and going to the NBA as the first round pick of the Toronto Raptors.

It had angered Lucas more than anything to watch his brother succeed and send measly checks to Haley without actually caring about anything pertaining to his son.

Not that Lucas knew anything about being a father.

His own, Dan Scott had abandoned him and his mother in favor of Nathan's mother Deb. His uncle Keith had been all around the states, trying to find a purpose until somehow he ended back in his hometown of Tree Hill, NC and taken Dan's responsibilities for him, and began to father Lucas when he was six. But even there, he could only do so much for him.

So Lucas did as his uncle did.

He took responsibility from Nathan and took care of Haley and her unborn child. After graduating from high school and getting a scholarship for basketball, he immediately went to Wilmington for UNC basketball and got an Associates in English and Literature. All the while he worked on the side and pitched in to Haley as much as he could. Somewhere along those lines, the lines of friendship blurred into romance, and the two were never the same.

Their relationship was far from stable, if it could be even called a relationship. It had consisted of him and Haley sleeping with each other, best friends with 'benefits' and no strings attached as he took care of James Scott, his nephew. They lived with each other, hung out all the time and shared the burden of being parents.

She loved him and he loved her.

But they weren't in love with each other and they knew that. Haley's emotions were too closed off after Nathan, and Lucas hadn't wanted the messiness that a relationship had an effect on people.

It had allowed him to blossom into a better basketball player, an avid reader and study, a better father than Nathan, and a better friend to Haley.

When he'd been picked in the second round of the draft, a year after Nathan and he had been picked to the Charlotte Bobcats on a three year deal, he was happy. He was able to chase his dreams of the NBA, and was two hours away from his hometown and his family. He was making money for playing the sport he loved more than anything in the world and assured his family was well off and had no worries.

He had given his parents Keith and Karen a large house and a couple hundred thousand to do as they pleased and Keith ended up re-opening his auto shop. Karen had closed her café, she'd gotten pregnant again and giving birth to Lily, who was now seven years old. Karen had reopened her café now that Lily was in elementary, bored from the life of being a housewife.

His parents were happy and he had a small part in that and for that he was happy.

An hour and a half later he pulled into the quiet, sleepy town of Tree Hill. He slowed down to an easy 35mph as he drove through the side streets, driving up a small uphill, going through the residential area which he used to call "Rich Kid Valley". He could have had a bigger house but he settled on a small mansion, white with oddly a red door. Jamie had a room there, and Haley slept in Lucas' large master bedroom.

Steering the sleek, black Camaro into the driveway, he shut off the engine, and popped the trunk and grabbing his overnight bag, then closed the trunk and locked the car and set the alarm. The car beeped twice, signifying the alarm was active and before he could make it to the door, a blond haired, blue eyed child leapt into his arms.

"Dad!" Jamie cried out, wrapping his arms around his legs.

Lucas smiled and ruffled the boy's hair gently. "Hey kiddo." Lucas greeted him, grabbing him and lifting him in the air.

"You won last night, that was so cool. You made two three pointers with no time on the clock, I texted all my friends and told them." Jamie exclaimed happily.

"Did you, since when do you have a cellphone?" Lucas asked, stepping inside his house and closing the door shut.

"Um, since… yesterday. Momma said it's best to have one, you never know if there's going to be an emergency." Jamie replied, shaking his head as if Lucas were an idiot.

"Smart woman." Lucas mumbled under his breath, not sure what to think of his nephew/son having a cell phone at seven years of age.

"What was that?" Haley called from the kitchen. She stepped into the living room,

dressed in nothing but a pair of grey sweatpants, and a black sleeveless shirt that managed to hide most of the curves Lucas was very well acquainted with.

"Nothin', I swear." Lucas said jokingly, before pressing his lips to hers.

"That's what I thought." She replied huskily. She then gave him a warm hug, burying her face into the crook of his neck. "I still can't believe it Lucas… You were great in that game."

Wrapping his arms around Haley, he smiled into her hair, which smelled like lavender. "I know… by the way, you smell really good. Did you cook anything yet, I'm kinda starving?" Lucas asked softly, and Haley had an amused smile on her lips.

"You're such a guy. I made fried chicken and mac and cheese for dinner…" she offered, shrugging her shoulders when Lucas looked at her incredulously. "What I was busy and stuff. I can't always cook." She pouted, and Lucas captured her lips.

Pulling away, he arched his eyebrows. "Babe, we've got the money, we can get a maid and personal cooks." Lucas chided.

"Nonsense. Why spend money on that stuff when you have a hot, southern girl in your house ready to do that all for you, waste of money is what it is. Plus I thought you liked my southern fried chicken and mac and cheese?" she asked, pouting again.

"I do." He assured her. Looking back over at Jamie who was watching his parents interact with a knowing smile, Lucas decided. "How about this, we eat your food, I get a little nap going and we go celebrate with my parents at a nice restaurant on the pier?" Lucas offered.

"Sounds good to me." Haley admitted, "I'll call Karen." She added, before heading off to call Lucas' mother.

"Dad, can we all go dressed in your jersey?" Jamie asked, and looking into baby blue eyes that looked just like his, Lucas couldn't deny him.

"Of course kid." Lucas responded.

After eating a quick meal together, Jamie decided that he too wanted a nap. Lucas led the boy upstairs and tucked him into bed, but only after promising to wake him up for the dinner later on. His mother had talked to Haley and was down for dinner at 9pm at this seafood restaurant on the Tree Hill pier.

Taking a nice hot shower, Lucas let the hot water roll over his back and soothe his aching muscles. As he spread the AXE body gel on his body, he felt soft hands press against his back. "Got room for two?" Haley asked, pressing her naked breasts against his back.

Lucas turned around, his manhood hardening immediately. "Always Hales."

…

It was nine o'clock, and a half crescent moon lit up the pier. Lucas, Haley, and Jamie awaited Karen and Keith to show up. They hadn't been waiting long, they had just arrived five minutes earlier just to walk through pier and watch the waves roll on the beach.

"My baby's going to the NBA playoffs." A voice called out, and a pair of arms wrapped around his neck and lips pressed against his cheek.

"C'mon ma, I'm not your baby anymore." Lucas said groaning sullenly, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"You'll always be my baby Luke, don't you know that?" Karen replied brightly. She let him go, and Lucas stood up and saw his uncle Keith and immediately wrapped his arms around the man and gave him a hug.

"Hey Keith, how are you man?" Lucas asked.

"I feel prouder than I've ever felt in my whole life. Congratulations Lucas." Keith said, grinning wide.

"How do you feel about going to the playoffs for the first time?" Karen asked, her eyes lighting up.

"I'm nervous to be honest. I don't think we can win it, but we have an actual chance." Lucas admitted.

"You'll be alright. As long as you do your best, it's all that matters. I'll still be proud." Karen replied.

"Ma…" Lucas groaned again as she played with is hair. "Where's Lily?" He asked.

"Well we figured you were going to celebrate and not bring Jamie, not that we mind though, so we got her a baby sitter so we could go to Tric after this." Keith confessed.

"She's over at Sara's, maybe we can drop Jamie off and go to Tric." Lucas suggested.

"I'm fine with it, what about you Jamie, wanna hang out with Lily for a while?" Haley asked her son.

"Yeah, I'll let the grownups do their thing for a while." He replied candidly, and they all laughed, before having the first real family dinner in a while.

Two hour later the four adults were stumbling through Tric, champagne being poured into glasses that never seemed to run out as the club/bar Karen owned hosted a party for Lucas. Lucas who was still clad in his white and orange Bobcats jersey with a black undershirt and a pair of light blue skinny jeans was still allowed entrance.

"Lucas Scott!" Fans yelled throughout the club. Lucas nodded and grinned and for once he felt happy, he was celebrating with his family, he had made his father Keith proud, he had something good going with Haley, and he was going to give Jamie the best life he could ask for.

Nothing could mess this up, not even Peyton Sawyer.

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay, I tried to update Simplicity, and got 3,000 words of it done, but this fic was begging for me to update. Not one of my longer chapters, and if you're pissed off about the Laley thing, too bad. I originally decided on a friendship, but after having Nathan run out on Haley, and knowing how Keith and Luke were, I couldn't help but throw it in there. Plus I'm convinced that in a AU world where Leyton didn't exist in OTH, it would have been Luke and Haley getting it in. In the first season, there was a moment there, but with Peyton around, it'd never develop. If you're that upset about it sorry, I really am, but as I wrote the chapter, this is exactly how I envisioned it.


	3. Chapter 3

A Man's Worth

Chapter 3

I

Lucas groaned as he woke up, his arm draped around Haley's waist and she snuggled closer into him. Pressing his lips softly into her neck, he opted to drift back to sleep, nurse the headache he was feeling from the drinking he did last night but instead ended up rolling over and got out of bed.

"Where are you going, baby?" Haley murmured, rolling over and latching onto his waist.

"Gotta get up and stretch, maybe play a little bit of ball to practice for the playoffs." Lucas confessed.

"Stay in bed." She whispered, sliding her hands into his boxer briefs.

"No can do Hales." Lucas mumbled out, placing a light kiss on her lips.

"Ugh, morning breath much?" Haley asked.

"You too there, plus I'm going to brush my teeth now, but you're going to have to let go of my dick to do that." Lucas shot back, sliding out of the bed and out into the bathroom. Half an hour later after brushing his teeth and taking a shower-alone for a change- he stepped back out into his mater bedroom and saw that Hales was out of the bed.

Knowing her she was probably in the other shower a few rooms over, he decided to change into simple basketball attire. He threw on a pair of black Jordan basketball shorts and a Bobcats cut off tee. Opening his shoe closet he pulled out a pair of black and orange Nike Shox that he had custom made after joining the NBA and pulled out his iPhone.

Scrolling through his contacts with his thumb, he found his best friend Antwon on there. Pushing in his number the iPhone dialed it and he put the phone to his ear as he waited for him to pick up. Four rings later and a groggy Antwon picked up.

"Hello, this better be a booty call or I'm fixing to kick some scrawny white boy's ass." His best friend mumbled into the phone and Lucas laughed.

"I missed you too Skills." Lucas replied grinning. "Hey, want to meet me at the River Court in an hour?" Lucas asked.

"I guess, you have to promise me something though." Skills asked.

"Anything man, you know I gotcha." Lucas replied.

"You have to hang out with us guys tonight, we haven't hung out in forever." Skills demanded.

Lucas took a minute to ponder it. He had two weeks before the playoffs, and Haley hadn't made any plans with him and he hung out with her yesterday. "Alright, it's a deal." He answered. "I'll bring my street clothes and I'll shower at your place." Lucas added.

"Sweet, one more favor?" Skills asked.

"C'mon, what now?" Lucas asked grinning.

"Pick me up, my car broke down again." Skills stated.

"You just want an excuse to ride in the Camaro." Lucas fired back indignantly.

"True, but I'm serious." Skills replied.

"I'll be there in forty five." Lucas shot back then pressed the end call on the touch screen keypad.

Lucas headed downstairs and could hear the sound of the crowd cheering and the rhythmic thump of a basketball being dribbled. As he came downstairs he saw Jamie playing PS3 in the living room on their big HD TV. His nephew/son was playing NBA 2K9 and using Lucas and the Bobcats against ironically enough the Boston Celtics.

"Lucas Scott dribbles the ball upcourt, crosses over Ray Allen and shoots the three from the top of the key. Bobcats wins ninety to fifty five. Lucas Scott is the high man with forty six points. I'm Marv Albert and we hope to see you again soon."

"Jamie, what did I tell you about playing as me on video games when I'm in the house?" Lucas asked, interrupting the boy.

"Dad!" Jamie squealed and dropped his controller as he ran over to Lucas. "You told me not to settle for a crappy video game when you got the real deal." He informed Lucas.

Lucas chuckled. "Alright, kiddo." He said warmly, ruffling Jamie's hair.

"Hey dad, you ready to kick the Celtic's butt?" Jamie asked.

"You betcha, but that's not for two weeks. Hey, if I wanted to take you and your mom to Florida for a couple days, what would you say?" Lucas asked.

"Whaddaya mean?" Jamie asked innocently, looking just like the five year old boy he was.

"Florida, it's a long drive away but it's pretty, the beach is nice, and we could go fishing and do stuff we can't do here in North Carolina." Lucas explained, taking a seat on the couch and grabbing Jamie and sitting him next to him. Jamie curled up against him and looked at him with blue eyes that looked just like Lucas', and with spiky blonde hair, he looked like Lucas.

Sometimes it still shocked him that he was Nathan's kid after all and not his. Back in their senior year of high school, Nathan and Haley's relationship had hit the rocks again and Lucas had been there to comfort Haley as her best friend, and they had slept together for the first time then.

Alcohol burning holes in his stomach, he had slept with his brother's wife and claimed her for himself. Then Nathan had returned a week later and she had been back in his arms and Lucas had lived with that guilt, the sorrow of losing the woman he loved. Because while he had been her best friend, he'd been in love with her for longer than he cared to remember.

After Nathan had _damaged _her, he had lost that love. She had sought him out and he had denied her, then a few months later she had given birth to Jamie on graduation day and after two months into the summer Nathan had abandoned her.

How could he look into the baby blue eyes of Jamie and walk away?

It burned a hole in Lucas' gut to know his brother could be so heartless, so brutally cold that after having an ass of a father like Dan, he could repeat the same things he did and walk away from the one woman who had loved him.

Lucas would have given anything to have that at the time.

His heart had hardened into stone and very little had gotten into the cracks. He still loved Haley, but that love had transformed from romance into solely friendship with a side plate of lust. He had tried giving Jamie the world, becoming his father he had so desperately needed, despite the fact that he hated Nathan.

Jamie was blood.

So he had repeated Keith's actions through himself and fathered Jamie, despite the fact that Haley had given him everything but her heart, and Lucas couldn't return that. He hadn't given her half as much as she had given him, but he tried.

He slept with other women, but he came home to her and Jamie. That should be enough for now, because he knew that Haley would never have him fully, and he would never have her.

They would just have what they shared now.

Lucas hoped it would be enough for both of them, for Jamie's sake.

He had completely lost train of thought like he sometimes did, and as he looked at Jamie again, he placed his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"We can fish and got to the beach here, dad. As long as me and mom spend time with you, we don't care where it's at." Jamie answered honestly and Lucas heart was wrenched inside.

Forcing a smile to his lips to hide the sadness he felt, Lucas responded, "Pack a bag, we're leaving tomorrow." Lucas ordered sofly, and Jamie wrapped his arms around him.

"Sweet, this is gonna be the best time of my life." Jamie stated, giving Lucas a mega-watt smile, then dropped his PS3 controller and took off running to his bedroom to get started on packing his bags.

He headed onto the kitchen and grabbed himself a small bite of fruit to eat, seeing as he was about to play ball he didn't want to eat to heavily. As he tossed the peach seed into the trash and washed his hands to get rid of its sweet stickiness, he felt Haley grab his ass again.

"Hey babe." She said sexily into his ear.

Lucas turned around and placed his lips onto hers softly. "Hey. Look Hales, I already told Jamie about the trip to Florida and he really wants to go, so make sure you have your bag packed and we'll leave tomorrow in the morning by car." Lucas told her.

"Yeah of course, did you want to have dinner with us today?" Haley asked.

"I wouldn't wait up on me, Skills wants to play ball then hang out since we haven't done that in a while. You don't mind do you?" Lucas asked seeing the disappointed look on her face.

"No it's okay." She mumbled.

"I promise I won't be out till late. If you want, eat light for dinner and I'll bring some pizzas when I'm done with the guys alright?" Lucas compromised.

Haley pursed her lips together and thought about it. "And after?" she asked, pressing her body flush into his causing Lucas to groan.

"Anything you want." Lucas said smirking.

"Alright, well get going then." Haley said, grabbing his waist. "Hurry back." She whispered seductively into his ear before flaunting away.

Lucas gave her a small wave before grabbing his bag he packed and heading out the door. The weather was remarkably cool for the end of April he contemplated as soft breezes caressed his legs. He was clad only in a simple white t-shirt and a pair of Jordan basketball shorts with orange and blue sneakers. Unlocking the door with the press of a button, he clambered into the Camaro and shut it closed, before turning the car on, a loud grumbled rumbling through the pipes.

Sliding the shifter into drive, he took off.

Heading out of driveway, he took a left and hauled ass, vanishing out of the residential area and taking the fastest route to Skills house which was five minutes outside the river court.

He made it there a few minutes later, the Camaro's thick tires coming to a halt as he parallel parked the car in front of Skills' house. Getting out of the car, he shut the door closed and locked it before heading up the steps to Skills' two story house. Knocking on the door, a few moments later it was opened by one of Lucas' old friends Fergie. He extended his hand out to Luke who shook it and pulled his friend into a man hug.

"What's up Fergie, how you been man?" Lucas asked.

"The usual, me and Junk still suck at basketball, how about you superstar?" Fergie asked, smiling warmly.

It had honestly been a while since he'd seen his old friend. The last two months had been hectic for Lucas, only six of his last seventeen games had been at home and between practice and road travel, he hadn't much time to hang with his friends or even talk to them over the phone for longer than five minutes.

"I'm alright, hanging in there. Kind of nervous about the playoffs, but I think we'll be alright. I don't expect to make it to the Finals, but we'll see." Lucas admitted.

"Shame on you Lucas, you should believe the Bobcats can make it. If anyone could take that team to the Finals now it would be you. You inspire belief and hope, that's why we followed you Luke all these years even before you made it big." Fergie protested.

Lucas had the decency to look abashed. "I'm really not all like that Fergie." Lucas whined.

"But you are, even now you're a huge superstar and yet you got the time to come hang out and play ball with us today, I can't say Nathan Scott would do the same." Fergie replied.

Lucas smiled and shrugged at his friend. "Thanks, I think I needed to hear that." He confided warmly.

"C'mon, let me grab Junk and Skills… hey you think Mouth can interview you, it'd be really important for him." Fergie asked.

"No doubt, he could interview anytime. We'll do it today, after we get done playing ball." Lucas affirmed, nodding.

"That's great Luke." Mouth cut in, walking to the room and extending his hand. Lucas shook hands with him, and they too shared a quick man hug.

Lucas looked at his old friend Marvin "Mouth" McFadden and he could see a few differences from the last time he saw his good friend. Instead of the cool spiky hair he once had, now it was a little bit longer and combed back giving him a more corporate business like manner.

Smiling at the fair skinned hometown reporter, Lucas clasped his hands on his shoulder. "How's it going Mouth?" Lucas asked.

"Same old, ya know. I can't wait to see you play the Celtics, I actually plan on covering the games that are here in Charlotte, you have no idea how many tickets have sold since last night. No one actually expected you guys to go to the playoffs besides us I guess and now everyone's calling to get tickets. I even heard the Senator of North Carolina got top box tickets to all the games, heard he paid a pretty penny too." Mouth stated.

Lucas' eyebrows rose. "Really?" he asked doubtfully.

"Yeah, everyone's proud of you Luke, you really have no idea." Mouth explained, grinning from ear to ear.

"Well thanks. Hey, I'll get you backstage when we play in Charlotte alright?" Lucas offered warmly.

"That's cool, it'd be pretty awesome." Mouth admitted.

"Hey Luke, you ready to git ya ass kicked?" Skills drawled out, walking into the room.

"I think not." Lucas shot back, smirking at his closest friend, or at least the one he didn't sleep with.

Ugh…disturbing image… Lucas thought, before motioning Skills and mouth outside.

"You ready?" Lucas asked.

"Yea, let's go Mouth." Skills stated and Mouth reached over and grabbed a small bag that contained his tape recorder and notepad and pens.

"Junk and Fergie's not coming?" Lucas asked, arching his right eyebrow again.

"Nah, dey got that new Call of Duty game and they probably won't leave the house ever." Skills replied with a small chuckle.

Lucas and Mouth laughed as well. "It's for the best, don't want them to see the ass kicking I'm going to give you." Lucas shot back with his patented grin.

The three friends climbed into the Camaro and were off, maintaining the bonds they've had since kids.

…

Lucas drove in towards the lane as Skills defended him and he used the momentum to shove Skills leg with his left hand pushing off of him backwards and shooting the fadeaway jumper. The ball arced in the air and dropped in with a swish. "I win." Lucas boasted with a smirk.

"Man that's some bullshit, that's cheating." Skills protested with mock anger.

Lucas let out a chuckle and wiped the sweat off his head. "Not really, Jordan pulled that on Russell to win the championship in ninety eight." Lucas answered back cockily.

"You're right, he did do that." Skills agreed with a small smile on his face. "Make sure you do that when it counts Luke if you know what I mean." He added.

Lucas nodded solemnly before smiling brightly at his friend. "This years going to be good, even if we don't win it all, people will remember the Bobcats." He said.

The two friends walked over to the bleachers and sat down next to Mouth. "Are you ready for the official interview?" Mouth asked.

"Ask away." Lucas replied.

Mouth pulled out a small voice recorder out of his pocket. "Do you agree to be recorded for the purpose of a news interview?" Mouth asked.

"Yes, I do." He consented, running a hand through his hair.

"First question. Many people say that the Bobcats going to the playoffs is a miracle after a horrible first forty games, what's your take on that?" Mouth asked in professional tone.

Lucas let out a sigh as he contemplated his answer. "I'd say they were right. We have good players, a good set of coaches and we won fifteen out of forty games. We just couldn't get it right for whatever reason but after the All-Star game in Dallas, we just kicked it into overdrive. What matters now is that we are in the Playoffs, nothing else does." Lucas answered.

"Good response. Do you think you can put a stop to the number two seed Boston Celtics?" Mouth asked.

"It's going to be hard, they played a lot better than we did, but I think that works in our favor." Lucas replied honestly.

"How's that?"

"Well for one the won a championship not too long ago and we never have, I think they'll underestimate us and we'll strike at that point. It's going to be about who wants it the most, and I'm sure Charlotte wants it the most." Lucas said, the corners of his lips crinkling into a grin.

"Do you think you can honestly beat Nathan Scott and the Lakers. You've never beaten them out of all the times you've played. Do you think you can beat your brother and his team?" Mouth asked.

Lucas shrugged. "Why not? Every team is beatable after all. This might be the year for the Bobcats." Lucas replied.

"One last question." Mouth requested and waited for Lucas to nod.

"Yeah, go ahead." Lucas affirmed with a small nod of his head.

"What were you doing with Nathan's fiancée Peyton Sawyer in New York?" Mouth asked quietly.

Lucas sat there, mouth agape. "What do you mean by that Mouth?" he asked eerily after a few moments.

Mouth pulled out a New York Times newspaper from that morning and it showed Lucas and Peyton on the front cover. The picture had to be taken as soon as they left the club and got swarmed by the paparazzi. "Shit." Lucas cursed quietly.

When Haley saw that, he knew she wouldn't have a favorable reaction. Trying to cover up his surprise, he lied smoothly, "She introduced herself that night after the game and we talked and got swarmed by the paparazzi."

"So the picture of you and her dancing was just amicable and nothing else right?" Mouth asked.

Lucas nodded. After clearing his throat, he managed to say, "Yes, just a friendly meeting and nothing else."

Mouth's lips were set in a grim, straight line. "This next question you might not like but what about the picture where you and her are at the hotel together, holding each other in the front lobby?" Mouth asked.

Lucas' eyes narrowed quickly. "No comment. No more questions." Lucas warned dangerously.

Mouth shut off the recorder quickly. "Lucas I'm sorry I had to ask you, but I had too, it's part of the job." Mouth apologized quickly, sadness bleeding into his eyes. He knew that Lucas probably felt betrayed right now and was trying to start the damage control before it was too late.

"You could of fuckin' warned me you were going to ask that, dammit Mouth, I didn't even have an official statement prepared." Lucas chastised.

"If you knew in advance, you might of not done the interview." Mouth replied hastily.

"I would have, I just would have prepared something a statement first." Lucas shot back angrily.

"Aren't you and Hales a thing?" Skills interrupted.

"Something like that, nothing serious." Lucas said, eyes swiveling to his best friend.

"She's been your best friend for so long Luke, and you've been running around behind her back, behind Jamie's back." Skills replied, anger leaking into his voice.

"It's not like that. I just take care of Haley and Jamie, we're not together. We just happen to sleep with each other sometimes." Lucas replied defensively.

"Are you that dense? Of course you and her are a thing. You're the only man she's let that close to her since Nathan left her. She's not just the type to fuck a guy, brah. There's always feelings involved." Skills fired back.

"I know…" Lucas muttered out weakly. He ran his fingers through his hair, he sighed and contemplated where it had gone so wrong. He'd been so far gone to the point he was becoming more like his younger brother Nathan and he didn't realize it.

If only he could of settled down, he had a good thing going with Haley and Jamie, it was a perfect life, and he just threw a wrench into that. He'd slept with a lot of women since joining the NBA and thought it was okay because Haley's heart didn't belong to him anyway.

Or perhaps he was subconsciously punishing her for choosing his brother over him.

Back in their senior year before Haley got pregnant with Jamie, Nathan disappeared to High Flyers basketball camp and left Haley behind when she returned from her music tour. Back then he understood Nathan's pain, shortly after getting married Haley kissed another guy and disappeared to follow her dreams of music leaving Nathan to pick up the pieces of his broken heart.

He had sympathized with him, put up with him when Nathan was being a selfish asshole because he too was hurting. Haley had broken his heart too, she had been his best friend and the girl he had been in love with and she didn't even leave him a number to get a hold of her at, she hadn't said goodbye.

Then she had returned and Nathan had been too hurt to let her in, he had disappeared to Florida.

It had been Lucas that helped her with her broken heart. He had listened to her pine for Nathan, he had comforted her in her solace.

Then Nathan had returned and so did the tension between the three and when Nathan continued refusing Haley, Lucas had confessed his love for her and they had a drunken night in each other's arms. The next day Nathan begged for her to return to him and she had left Lucas without so much as a goodbye kiss and had returned to Nathan.

No one had been able to piece Lucas' heart after that, because no one had known what he had done.

He had slept with his brother's wife.

Then after Nathan left her for good she had begged him to stay, to help raise Jamie and he had given in, he had a weak spot for her after all. There wasn't much he wouldn't do for her.

But this time his heart was too far from her fingers to grasp. It had hardened like cement and he had vehemently refused to fall in love with her. He loved her, they'd been friends for so long but if he gave his heart to her again and she left him for Nathan, he wouldn't have been able to recover again.

Subconsciously he'd been punishing her all this time when she might have been ready to give her heart to him, but he'd been too busy in another woman's warmth to entertain the idea.

"Luke you okay?" Skills asked, bringing him out of his reverie.

Lucas nodded softly. "I don't feel too good, I think I'm going to go home." Lucas said quietly.

"What happened to guy's night out?" Skill asked.

"Maybe later if I feel better." Lucas responded.

'Lucas, I'm sorry." Mouth apologized once again.

"It's alright, c'mon, let me take you guys home. I promise I'll call later." Lucas answered hesitantly.

He didn't though.

Hours later he found himself in a dingy bar called Ravens trying to drink himself into a stupor but it just wasn't working. He'd already had a few shots of Southern Comfort and a rum and coke or three, he honestly stop counting after the first one.

He hated the fact that he was in this position, because he knew he gave Nathan power over him, and he had fucked Haley over.

When had life gotten so complicated?

Sighing softly and leaving his unfinished drink at the bar, he disappeared from the bar and climbed into his car. He wasn't drunk after all…

…before he could close the door, a hand stopped him in his tracks. "Scoot over I'm driving, we got to have a talk." Haley interrupted and Lucas' heart stopped beating for a moment's breath. He scooted over with no resistance.

"Shit." He mumbled quietly.

Haley didn't say anything, instead she turned the Camaro on, revved the engine and shifted, blaring down the street with a fiery roar. Minutes later they pulled into the river court and parked, cutting off the ignition and the headlights.

Lucas looked over at Haley through alcohol laden bloodshot eyes. She was unnerving him to the core, her face was stony and unreadable like a statue you would find in a museum, permanently frozen in its expression. "Are you going to say anything?" Haley demanded, her eyes alit with a icy ire that made Lucas shuffle his feet a little.

"I don't know what to say Hales…" Lucas answered quietly after a pregnant pause.

"How about this… Haley, I've been sleeping around with other women, including Nathan's fiancée. Let's go that route." She replied bitterly.

"Haley, you can't cheat on someone you're not with." Lucas responded defensively.

"So you're saying we're not together, that we're not sleeping with each other, living in the same household raising a child together. Or did you forget the last three years Lucas?" She asked.

"We have, we are, but we always said it in the beginning, no strings attached and all. You told me we were just fucking and nothing more…"

"We were never just fucking Luke." Haley bit out angrily.

Lucas looked at her, mouth agape. "How the hell was I supposed to know what you mean?" Lucas demanded. "You tell me we're just having fun and that it was all we were doing and now you tell me we're in some kind of committed relationship, it's not fair Hales." Lucas replied.

"How so, isn't that we couples do?" Haley asked.

"We're not a goddamn couple Hales, we never were. I was your best friend and that's it, the guy who helped you raise your son and that's all we were supposed to be." Lucas answered, sighing harshly.

"So you don't love me?" Haley asked quietly after a few seconds.

"It's not about love Haley. I love you, you're my best friend and at one point, no two points in time I fell in love with you, utterly and recklessly, but not again, not anymore. I'm not in love with you and you're not in love with me, we're just through the motions." Lucas replied softly.

"Going through the motions…" Haley repeated disbelievingly. "You've got to be kidding me Lucas. I gave you the last three years of my life, of my heart and I let you raise Jamie because I thought that's what you wanted…"

"No you didn't Hales. You dumped that responsibility on me. I love Jamie, more than anything in this world but don't forget what happened. You broke my heart twice for Nathan and then when Nathan kicked you to the curb you came to me and dumped the responsibility of husband and father on me. I'm not your toy Haley, you can't kick me back and forth and then expect me to be the same guy you were best friends with. You destroyed that guy." Lucas accused.

"So it's my fault I chose my husband over you?" Haley asked.

"Yes, look where it got you. It was your fault you left in the first place, and then when he gave you the cold shoulder you came running to me only to leave me the next morning and get with Nathan again. You've hurt me so bad… don't sit there and act like your hands are clean Hales." Lucas responded.

His head snapped to the side as she slapped him hard.

"So now you're punishing me, is that it?" she asked, her voice quivering.

"No, I love you too much to do that to you. I just thought we had a well defined boundary to what we were going to stick to and now you expect me to change where we should go because now after all this time you're ready for me.

"I'm not ready for you, I'm sure as hell not ready to have you jump back into Nathan's arms the next time I give you my heart so sorry if I'm a bit skittish." Lucas snapped.

"Was it worth it, this Peyton Sawyer?" Haley asked.

Lucas ran his fingers through his hair again. "I don't know Hales, probably not." Lucas answered. "It just happened alright, me and the guys were drinking and we were celebrating and shit happens, you of all people should know that."

Haley glared at him hard. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know… let's try this one. You marry Nate, make out with Chris Keller and sleep with me, while still married. I'm not throwing it in your face, but I am reminding you that shit happens." Lucas shot back at her.

"You… asshole." She breathed out, shaking with rage.

"Hales, I'm sorry." He apologized quickly.

"That's it. You're going to have to choose, it's either me and Jamie or all the girls you can have. I know I'm not much, I'm not special and I'm not pretty like Peyton or the Brooke Davis or Scarlette Johnson, but I'll be damned if I let another Scott walk all over me again. So that's your choice, either we do this right or I move out and you'll just be Jamie's uncle." Haley threatened.

"That's bullshit and you know it. You're not even in love with me, you're still hung up on Nathan and you want to demand shit from me like that?" Lucas asked angrily.

"Maybe you're right, maybe I'm still in love with Nathan." She confessed.

"I won't be your rebound." Lucas said pointedly.

Haley sighed. "You're right, it's not fair. Let's be like we used too, we won't sleep with each other anymore and if you fall for me and I fall for you, we'll be together. It's not right to demand your commitment if I can't give you my heart." Haley responded.

Lucas nodded numbly. "We had a good run though, a lot of great sex." He pointed out and she laughed and smacked his arm.

"Don't say that, it sounds like it'll never happen." Haley said gently, her voice an octave above a whisper.

"Who knows." Lucas replied quietly.

"I still love you Luke, I'll still come to the games and cheer you on." She offered weakly.

"Time is no man's friend and impatience is every man's enemy." Lucas quoted.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Haley asked.

"It means let's go home and we'll see what tomorrow brings for us." Lucas replied tiredly.

"Those that wait for tomorrow are doomed to live in the past." Haley quoted back.

The two of them drove to Karen's to pick up Jamie and the three of them, their circa of a broken family headed home. Lucas elected to sleep in one of the guest rooms after tucking Jamie into bed and as he laid in bed, contemplating the upcoming playoffs his phone vibrated on the nightstand.

Grabbing the iPhone he looked and saw he had a text message.

He opened it up.

704-342-3011: Hey sexy

Who the hell was that?

Luke responded with a 'Whose this?'

704-342-3011: Peyt

LucasScott: Why are you texting me?

704-342-3011: I was thinking of you, I miss you already. Can we meet up again? ; )

Lucas sighed.

LucasScott: No, I think I'll pass.

704-342-3011: Shame, I'm right outside your house. I'm soooo horny.

LucasScott: Stop fucking with me.

704-342-3011: Could of sworn you loved it as much as I did. And yes I'm outside, come out for a little bit.

He knew he probably shouldn't of gotten up. But the memory of Peyton and the alcohol swimming in his blood was working against him and his legs moved on their own accord. Sneaking downstairs quietly to not wake anyone else up, he looked out of his window and sure enough Peyton's white Lamborghini LP640 was parked directly in front of his house.

Opening up the door and heading out in nothing but a pair of basketball shorts and sandals he strode over to her car. The window was rolled down enough for him to see her ringlets of blonde hair and her devilish grin peering at him. "Are you out of you're fucking mind?" he hissed at her.

"Like I said I'm horny, hop in." she demanded candidly, her lips curving ever so sexily.

"Go sleep with my douchebag of a brother then." Lucas bit off harshly.

"Why when you're so much more fun?" she asked playfully. "Don't you want me anymore Lucas, or was it just a one night thing?" Peyton continued.

Lucas glared at her for a second. "You're my brother's fiancée, I'm not the type to fuck you knowing that." Lucas said, sighing softly.

"C'mon, hop in, let's talk." Peyton stated, motioning for him to get into the car. The butterfly doors opened upwards and Lucas walked around and climbed in. He knew he shouldn't of, but looking into her green eyes, he couldn't help himself.

Peyton drove them to the Tree Hill Inn and Peyton cut off the ignition and turned off the headlights once she parked in the parking lot. "I know what I did was wrong but I can't stop wanting you." Peyton whispered in his ear, her lips lingering playfully around his earlobe. "Do you have a girlfriend?" she asked.

"No, it doesn't matter, you're still Nathan's fiancée." Lucas pointed out.

"If you cared that much we wouldn't be here, you never would of gotten in the car." She pointed out, taking his earlobe between her teeth and nibbling softly. "Come up to my room…please Lucas." She begged, running her tongue across his ear tantalizingly.

"Fuck." Lucas whispered, his manhood hardening on its own accord. "I shouldn't." he whispered.

Peyton grabbed his hand and slid it in between her miniskirt and pressed it again her damp lips. "I'm so wet for you Lucas, it's not right to let me go unsatisfied." She begged, pressing her lips to kiss his neck before biting down on his collarbone.

"Jesus…" Lucas groaned out, his erection straining against his shorts. He thanked God he wasn't wearing jeans.

"Alright." He caved in.

The two made their way out of the car and to Peyton's room at a brisk pace and as his arousal heightened, he grabbed her and pushed her up against the door to her room roughly and claimed her lips. Kissing her roughly, his hands trailed through her beautiful blonde curls and his erection pressed up against her inner thigh. "Inside now." She whispered and opened the door and they stumbled into her room and he never let go.

She wrapped her legs around his back wantonly and he carried to the bed before forcefully pinning her to the bed and she arched her back, grinding against him harder. Lucas grunted and slid his hands up her legs, relishing the feel of her calves against his fingertips. "Fuck you're so hot." Lucas whispered, his hands reaching towards her miniskirt and slowly pulling it down to reveal her moist lips.

Peeling off his tank top and shorts he climbed into bed with her and she tossed her top hap hazardously onto the floor. He nudged her legs apart and slid in between them and claimed her lips again, drinking in her taste.

It was like he couldn't get enough of her.

He was fucking intoxicated.

Suckling her lower lip in between his, his hands reached down and pinched her nipples softly, grinning in amusement as they hardened even more under his ministration. She moaned and his lips claimed her throat. "Inside me." She whispered and Lucas bit her collarbone playfully.

"You're not in charge here." Lucas replied dominantly. He used his thumb to press down on her clit and she whined and arched against him. His fingers penetrated her lips violently and she let out a scream and soaked his fingers in her juices.

"Fuck!" she yelped and before she could accustom herself to his fingers he pulled them out and stuck them in his mouth.

"You taste so good, divine actually." He complimented her.

She was breathing hard, her warm breath against his throat. "I want you Luke. Please…get inside me already." She said before letting out a mewl.

"Get on your knees." He demanded and flipped her onto her stomach, revealing her bare ass to him.

Peyton did as he requested and he nudged his hard erection in between her asscheeks, before thrusting forward hard.

Peyton bit down on her pillow to force herself not to scream again as she flooded him with juices. He continued thrusting in her hard and she loved every second of it, pushing back to match his thrusts with equal, unrelenting force.

He sheathed himself in her, feeling his orgasm nearing.

They were far from making love. They simply rutted like animals, violently and passionately and they both loved every second of it.

Her inner walls were squeezing him and suddenly he came with a roar, coating her insides with his orgasm and the two fell to the bed, the sheets sticky from bodily fluids. "I need a shower." Peyton exclaimed. Lucas looked into her haughty green eyes. "Care to join me?"

"Of course, I can't get enough of you Peyton." Lucas admitted. Taking her beautiful nakedness and burning a memory of it, he rolled out of bed. "C'mon." he motioned for her to follow him. She pulled off the top sheets of the bed and tossed them carelessly to the side.

As they clambered into the shower and cleaned themselves from what they had just done, Lucas pressed his hard on against Peyton's ass. "I wouldn't spend too much time cleaning yourself." He said.

"Why's that?" she asked coyly, grinding her ass against his dick.

"Because I'm going to fuck you stupid tonight. I'm going to fuck you so hard you won't know who Nathan Scott is." Lucas said chuckling.

The two of them finally stopped around four in the morning and Peyton's phone vibrated softly. Making sure Lucas was asleep she grabbed it and looked to see who it was.

It was a text message from Nathan.

NathanScott: Everything going according to plan?

PeytonSawyer: You know it is.

End of chaper

A/N: Sorry for the delay and I'll apologize for the next delay I'll face. To begin and this isn't an excuse but as you know I'm deployed in the North Arabian sea right now and we had an Search and Rescue mission and between 16hrs a day of work and sleep I haven't gotten any time to write. Hopefully it gets better but I doubt it, so sorry if you have to wait a while again. But I did give you some Leyton to make up for it… Later.

A/N pt 2: This chapter was completed two months ago but comms were down as well as internet and email. I'm really sorry about that.


	4. Chapter 4

A Man's Worth

Chapter 4: Celtics VS Bobcats Game One

I

Lucas Scott woke up to the sound of a phone vibrating next to his face. Annoyed and figuring it was Haley wondering where the hell he disappeared, he grabbed it. Not that he planned on giving her the real details because that would be awkward considering that they just broke up last night. Grabbing the iPhone 3GS, he saw it was a text message. The sender was Nate Scott.

Fuck… It was Peyton's phone.

Unable to help himself, his eyes lowered down to the text part of the message. It read '_We're going to destroy Lucas. He doesn't know what's about to hit him._'

His electric blue eyes got wide. So Nathan was using Peyton to get to him. What a douche bag. Right now he could feel the justified anger building up in his stomach, threatening to bubble up and let out in a fiery rage. Yet he couldn't really summon up anger against Peyton. Not that he thought she was without fault, willingly allowing herself to be used by Nathan as a weapon against him.

Yet as his eyes laid on her prone form, the anger gave in to lust. He craved her.

Soft, blonde ringlets framed her heart shaped face, her closed eyelids covering up green eyes that reminded him of the seas of Spain. Breathing softly as she slept, her lips formed a small pout, lower lip jutted out just enough to tempt him to kiss them.

Soft pale flesh was revealed to him as he pulled up the sheets and his eyes scanned down to her perky breasts and then down to her taut stomach. His eyes lowered some more down to her long legs and he remembered what they felt like wrapped around his back as she clawed at him, guttural moans forming his name on her lips.

Those emerald eyes lit ablaze with lust for him.

That he knew to be truth.

She wanted him, and that she couldn't fake could see it in her eyes, feel it in her touch, despite her ulterior motives. Not to mention how bad he wanted her. He realized last night that the night in New York was no fluke. She had an aura to her that demanded his attention, a seduction he couldn't find, an attraction too unbearable to take.

"Are you watching me sleep?" Peyton's voice cut through his thoughts.

"No I'm watching you wake up." Lucas corrected her.

A small grin lit her face and she yawned.

She must be a damn good actor to fake that smile. It came so natural to her.

Lucas ran his fingers through her blonde ringlets and she pressed her lips against his wrists. "Go back to bed." Peyton whispered through lush lips.

"Hard to, been a bit distracted and all." Lucas replied with a smile.

"Distracted?" Peyton asked, as if she were pondering it. Sliding her leg over his and straddling, her sex hovered above his rising manhood. "Would this have something to do with it?" Peyton asked idly.

Lucas grinned and flipped their positions so he was on top of her. "Possibly." He said, hissing as she clenched her legs around his back.

Suddenly and abruptly, he pulled away. "What's your angle Peyton? Why are you doing this if you're supposed to be marrying Nathan?" Lucas asked honestly.

"Does it matter?" she returned huskily, reaching down and grabbing his hard dick, grasping it in her hand. He was literally turning into putty in her hands. With her hand she guided him down to her velvet sex and he fought the urge to give in to her wanton pleasures.

"Yes it does, to me anyway." He said, twitching as the head of his cock slid across her moist lips. Pleasure raced through his body like a surge of lightning and the insistent pressure for a need of release was nearly crushing now. He needed to be inside her.

Only then would the world right itself.

Giving into his base desires, he positioned himself right across her entrance and thrusted into her. His fingers gripped her hips hard, small bruises staining her flesh. He gritted his teeth angrily, forcing her legs to spread wider as he slid into her deeper, her muscles tightening involuntarily nearly causing him to climax.

Suppressing a groan, he delved in deeper, staring as guttural sounds came out from her throat, her hair splayed like a crown, her emerald eyes hypnotizing him, demanding his attention. His lust consumed him, burned him from within and his eyes widened in the self realization that Peyton Sawyer held an uncanny ability to manipulate him solely through her body.

She was sex personified.

Her sexual appeal didn't lie within her emerald eyes, her haughty lips, her perky breasts, taut stomach or never-ending legs. She was more than that. He couldn't pretend to understand her, or the power she held over him, he just knew that he frankly didn't care, that it didn't matter that she was using him, because until their act of deviancy was complete, his world would be torn asunder.

Haley didn't hold a fucking candle to her.

His lips captured her throat, kissing the hollow of her throat, teeth nipping at her collarbone. "God, I can't stop wanting you." Lucas whispered hoarsely, nimble fingers playing with her nipples.

"I don't want you to stop wanting me." She replied huskily, grinding her hips to match his thrusts. Her nails raked his back, and the pressure began to build in his groin as the sensitivity only furthered their pleasure and he pumped in and out of her faster and faster until he could not hold it in anymore and growled out as he came inside of her, panting.

Wiping the bead of sweat of his brow, he slid out of her and laid next to her.

There was a pregnant pause in which neither of them said anything, both were merely content lying next to each other quietly. "Do you mind if I smoke?" Peyton asked quietly, a bit at unease with the silence after a few moments.

"You smoke cigarettes?" Lucas asked disdainfully, never taking a liking to the foul stench of tobacco.

"No, ugh, I'm talking about some good chronic." Peyton replied quickly.

"Oh…sure I guess." Lucas said, not really caring either way. The sickly sweet smell of weed didn't bother him for some reason. He managed to avoid it all his life but he had been to numerous parties where some of his fellow players had partaken in it.

Peyton pulled out a small pipe with some sticky green poking out slightly before incinerating it as she held a lighter over it and took a long drag. Inhaling the smoke, she held it in for a few seconds before blowing it out and she continued for a couple hits until it was nothing in there but resin. "This is some really good shit, you should have some." She offered.

"I'm good, I don't even like drinking that much, let alone smoking." Lucas replied.

"Fuck I'm high…" Peyton exclaimed in an awkward outburst. Looking at him through half lidded eyes, capillaries bright red, she spoke softly. "I know you read Nathan's text message." She admitted.

Lucas looked at her slowly, eyes swiveling. His head felt kind of fuzzy. Was it possible to get a contact high?

"I did." He confirmed quietly.

"Are you angry?" she asked hesitantly. He was quiet for a second, not really knowing how to answer the question. Sure, he didn't like the idea that she was playing him but he certainly wasn't angry at her.

"No." he spoke after a moment. Seeing the confused look on her face , he decided to continue, "You're being used by Nathan to get at me, and you're letting him use you, to me, that's pathetic. But what happened in New York and what happened here, that was real, both you and I know it. There was nothing faked about that."

"But why aren't you angry?" She demanded.

"Because I know how Nathan manipulates people. He must have gotten to you to make you do this, so tell me, why are you whoring yourself out for him?" Lucas replied, without a trace of anger directed at her.

She couldn't believe he was so blasé about it. "I'm originally from New Orleans, I moved to LA to become my own label executive, but I instead I became the lackey to the assistant to the secretary. I was broke, and had nothing going for me. LA is nothing but glamour and drugs and I was addicted to the lifestyle. I was a slave to my addiction, hooked to cocaine and ecstasy but I wasn't making nowhere enough to sustain my habit." She paused for a second and caught her breath, and for a second Lucas could have sworn her glassy eyes looked wet.

"I decided to sell myself in order to sustain my habit. Nathan was my first and only customer, and afterwards he concocted a plan to get back at you, all I had to do was sleep with you and make sure it hit the public and in return he'd give me enough money to start my own label, and I agreed and he gave me the Lambo as well as a bit of appreciation money." she said scoffing.

"Damn, I can't believe he'd stoop that low." Lucas said shaking his head.

"He hates you, more than anything in the world. He wants to ruin you Luke, you must know that." Peyton admitted gently.

"I know, I just don't know what I did to him that made him hate me that much." Lucas replied. Peyton sat in between his legs with her back to his chest. Lucas slid his arms around her bare breasts and laid against the headboard.

"It's always been about Haley…" Peyton confessed.

"I don't understand…"

"He's never stopped loving Haley. He feels as if you took her from him and he wants to destroy you for it. That's why he's gone to these lengths to get back at you, because the public has negative feelings towards Nathan for abandoning Jamie and Haley while they look at you as the Saint. He's using me to reverse the public opinion and make you suffer." Peyton responded.

"He abandoned her… he left her and Jamie. How could I have abandoned them too when they needed me the most?" Lucas said, snarling. "How can he hold that against me? If he never left, we'd never be in this situation!" he snapped angrily.

Peyton didn't speak.

Words failed her so instead she just laid there in his arms. "Can we just stay like this for a while?" Lucas asked.

Peyton nodded. "I'd like that."

II

"How did Haley take the news?" Joel Rodriguez, the backup shooting guard asked. Lucas shrugged at Joel noncommittally.

"We kind of ended our no-strings-attached relationship. I guess there were strings and I didn't know." Lucas replied.

"I'm sorry to hear that man." The half Puerto Rican, half Dominican replied earnestly.

"I'm not, it was time me and her ended whatever it was that we've been doing the last couple of years." Lucas responded.

Before Joel could say anything else, Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson walked up. "You guys ready for this? We won't have much of a bench this series so if we want to win, we're going to have to step it up, the Boston Celtics are no joke, they're the number one seed after all." The co-Captain Gerald Wallace said.

"I know, this suspension bullshit is really gonna fuck us. David Stern, what a fat asshole." Lucas said and the guys laughed at that.

"Lucas Scott, I don't ever want to hear you talk about the Commissioner like that." Coach John Robinson barked out, walking into the locker room.

"What was that Coach?" Lucas feigned being deaf. "I couldn't hear you since you seem to have a fat bastard's dick in your mouth."

There was a long silence as all the players gasped and got wide eyed.

"That's it, you're not playing tonight at all. I will not have some third year all star wannabe disrespect me." Coach Robinson said through gritted teeth, fuming.

"Roger that..." Lucas replied with a two finger mock salute.

"You think this is a game?" Coach Robinson growled out.

"Well, basketball is a game of sorts." Lucas replied sarcastically.

"Have fun warming the bench Scott."

III

Peyton Sawyer hated LAX with a fiery undiluted passion. It was the bane of her existence, yet she had to accept it because she lived in LA and had to fly a lot. As she grabbed her luggage and walked through the crowed airport she avoided looking at others in the eyes. She liked being unnoticeable. She wanted people to assume she was just another blonde and not bother to try to strike up a conversation with her.

The problem was, they all knew who she was.

She hated the constant flashes of cameras, the adoring gazes, the hungry, lustful looks she received.

She was nobody.

But to them she was somebody all because she was fucking both Lucas and Nathan Scott and was engaged to the latter.

She literally had no idea what she had signed up for when Nathan propositioned her that day. She had been so stupid, reckless, and now this was the price she paid. This was the cost for all the fame and glory she had so badly wished to attain.

Rapidly walking to the end of the terminal and exiting the baggage claim, her iPhone buzzed to life as Nathan's picture appeared in the touch screen. Swiping her finger across the pad it unlocked and answered the call. "Hello." Peyton greeted amicably.

"How did it go?" Nathan asked.

"We're going to have to re-think our strategy, he figured out you're involved." Peyton replied.

"It was bound to happen, look I got the chauffeur to come pick you up outside LAX since I'm not there." Nathan stated out of the blue.

"Where are you?" Peyton asked.

"Boston, I think it's about time I had a talk with my dear big brother." Nathan responded and a tremor of fear tore into Peyton. This could surely not end well.

She wasn't even sure why she was scared, all she could think of is that Lucas wouldn't look at her the same way after talking to Nathan. She wasn't sure why she cared, she just knew it bothered her.

Lucas Scott was a dangerous individual.

The feelings he brought out of her last night and this morning blew her mind. She hadn't felt like that since Jake Jagelski, her high school sweetheart. Lucas brought out a spectrum of feelings within her ranging from lust to gentleness she didn't even know she had left. At times it was like the lust was so powerful they were trying to devour each other and at other moments, there was innocence to their longing touches.

This was a dangerous game for her.

Either she picked Nathan or Luke when the time came.

For now she was content in riding the tight rope, but she was definitely leaning more towards Lucas if she was honest with herself.

But it wouldn't work, he was a basketball player, a really popular and irresistible one at that. Only heartbreak could come from this. But God it felt so good.

Stepping out into the warm night, she saw Nathan's limo pull up.

Things would only get worse before they would get better.

IV

Lucas didn't know if he should be more frustrated at himself or the team after the first half of the game. The second half was about to start and they were down 68-35. The Boston Celtics were absolutely crushing them, mainly due to Lucas Scott not playing hence his own self frustration. If only he had managed to shut his mouth and keep it shut they wouldn't be in this situation.

They might not have been winning but they sure as hell wouldn't be down by 33 points. Rajon Rondo already had 18 points, 14 assists, and 11 rebounds in the first _half._ Those numbers hadn't been put up in Boston since Bird was still playing. Not to mention he was being backed by the Big Three, the deadly combination of Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett.

He honestly didn't see how they were going to get themselves out of this hole.

Especially without him.

"Coach!" Lucas called out.

"Yes Scott what is it?" Coach Robinson replied through gritted teeth, still pissed at him.

"Look I was out of line earlier and if you want to punish me that's fine. But keeping me on the bench is only punishing the team, and you, we're not going to get many chances to beat Boston at Boston. The only way you even have a chance at winning is if I'm playing. You must see that…"

Coach Robinson ran his overtly large hands through his hair as he thought of what to do next. "Alright, here's the starting lineup, Scott at point, Jackson at two guard, Brown at small forward, Wallace you'll play four, and Chandler you'll play five. Got it… Boston's handing our asses to us but there's a silver lining in this…" Coach Robinson trailed off.

"They're old." Lucas stated. "Boston's players besides Rondo and the bench are in their thirties and putting up all those numbers in one half is exhausting, even for a young team like OKC. Our only chance to win the game is through transition three pointers and fast break points. Defensive wise we can get them on a three-two zone and trap them from getting anything in the pain and hopefully block out Allen and Pierce from killing us on threes." Lucas pointed out.

"Let's win this game." Gerald Wallace shouted.

"Damn right." Coach Robinson replied, all fired up.

The five players forming the starting lineup all headed down to the court ready to play the second half. Brown inbounded it to Lucas who began the fast dribble up the court. He was guarded by Rondo, one of the best point guards in the league in his fourth year out of Kansas State. Dribbling the ball up to the top of the key, he dribbled with his left hand as he pivoted around Rondo, before stepping back and nailing the three pointer.

Lucas set up the full court press, guarding Rondo from the inbound and it payed off as he snuck a hand and stole the ball before Rondo could realize it. Taking off, his retro-Jordan's pounding hard against the hardwood, he took flight in the air and out of his peripheral he could see Rajon coming from behind him ready to block his layup.

In midflight, he tucked the ball into his hands and used the rim for protection as he laid a reverse layup, getting some contact still even as he got the friendly bounce. Lucas went to the painted strip for a chance to make it a three point play and did, making the score 68-41.

Lucas fought hard and valiantly against the Celtics, fighting tooth and nail throughout the third and fourth quarter putting up 29 points, 14 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks with 12 seconds left in the 4th Quarter. It was a tied game at 97-97.

Sweat poured down his head, irritating his eyes and he wiped it away distractedly with the back of his hand. His focus was on Rondo who was bringing the ball down court. Lucas pressed the defense on as Rondo crossed the top of the key.

6 seconds left.

He passed the ball to Paul Pierce.

Paul Pierce drove in towards the baseline and pulled back for a fade away jumper.

Swish!

99-97, Boston up with 2 seconds left on the clock.

Coach Robinson called a timeout.

Lucas hurried up to the bench to see what plan the Coach would have formulated. He knew it probably involved him and he was fine with taking the last shot. "Scott, it's up to you, straight up. You got us into this game, you come up with something to win it." Coach Robinson confirmed.

"Gerald you're going to inbound it to me and set a pick to free me up on the top left side and I'll shoot the three. Brown and Chandler, handle the post for the might needed put back." Lucas ordered.

Lucas turned to Joel Rodriguez, the backup shooting guard and smiled.

The whistle blew and Gerald Wallace inbounded it to Lucas who dribbled around Rajon Rondo as Wallace set the pick and roll perfectly leaving him a wide open three point shot. As he squared his feet and prepared to take the shot, Kevin Garnett rolled off the screen and prepared to block him as he left his feet to take the shot.

Eyes wide he launched it over to Joel Rodriguez who was left alone on the baseline.

1 second.

Joel Rodriguez launched the three pointer.

The buzzer went off.

Swish.

V

Lucas was still riding the high from winning the first game against Boston, the number one seed in the East. No one expected anything from them, they were the number 8 seed after all. After the post game interview, Lucas sat in the locker room contemplating the next game and as they all showered and changed into their civilian attire there was a knock on the locker room door.

Lucas walked over to the door and opened it, curious as to see who it was and saw that it was his brother Nathan. "What are you doing here, you have a game tomorrow against Oklahoma City?" Lucas asked aggressively.

"We need to talk." Nathan stated simply.

Lucas shut the locker room door behind him. "Sure, let's talk about how you're using Peyton to get back at me." Lucas snapped.

Nathan nodded simply. "That was a bit over the top I must admit. I guess I just wanted you to suffer." Nathan replied.

Lucas clenched his fist in his hand ready to punch Nathan in the face. "What the fuck did I do to you Nathan?" Lucas demanded. "Why are you so set on hating me? You abandoned Haley and Jamie but you hate me for taking care of them?"

"Taking care?" Nathan asked angrily. "You mean fucking Haley right?"

The urge to hit him got stronger.

"What does it matter to you?" Luke asked.

"You want to know why I hate you…fine it's about Jamie Lucas Scott. It's about why I left Duke to go to Florida." Nathan replied.

"What does your son have to do with it?" Lucas asked.

"No, not my son. Your son." Nathan replied with a scowl.

"What are you talking about?" Luke demanded angrily.

"Jamie isn't my blood son. He's your son Lucas, he's your blood son." Nathan finished, his eyes wet with unshed tears.

Lucas jaw dropped and he cocked his fist back and punched Nathan in the face.

A/N: Sorry it took so long for the update. Hopefully I can get the next chapter out by Christmas or post New Year's. Hopefully… I'll see y'all later, please leave reviews and let me know what you thought of this chapter.


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